1920–21 season of Brentford F.C.
Brentford 1920–21 football season
During the 1920–21 English football season, Brentford competed in the Football League Third Division . It was Brentford's inaugural season in the Football League and ended with the club successfully applying for re-election .
Season summary [ ]
Harry King was the leading goalscorer during the season and was the first Brentford player to register a
Football League hattrick .
After 18 seasons as members of the Southern League , Brentford were named as founder members of the new Football League Third Division for the 1920–21 campaign.[1] In preparation, 11 new players were signed and £2,000 was spent on improvements to Griffin Park .[2] Despite flirting with a position in mid-table during August and September 1920, the club endured a torrid season, sinking to the re-election places by October and largely remaining there for the rest of the season.[3] The FA Cup was exited in the first round.[3] Brentford successfully applied for re-election to the Football League at the end of the season without going to a poll. Three directors resigned after the season, due to a deficit of nearly £6,000 (equivalent to £272,100 in 2021).[2]
The goalscoring of former Arsenal forward Harry King provided one of the rare bright spots of the season, with his 18 goals accounting for nearly half that of the team's total. King also became the first Brentford player to register a Football League hat-trick in a 5–0 thrashing of Grimsby Town on 28 March 1921, the Bees' biggest win of the season.[3] The result established the club record for the highest winning margin in a Football League match, which would stand until broken in September 1929. Secretary manager Fred Halliday stood down after the season and reverted to an administrative role within the club. Management adviser Billy Brawn also stepped down. Brentford's 9 league victories during the season is the joint-fewest in the club's history and Jimmy Hodson became the club's record-oldest player when he appeared in the final match of the season at age 40 years, 8 months and two days.
League table [ ]
Pos
Team
Pld
W
D
L
GF
GA
GR
Pts
Promotion
18
Brighton & Hove Albion
42
14
8
20
42
61
0.689
36
19
Exeter City
42
10
15
17
39
54
0.722
35
20
Reading
42
12
7
23
42
59
0.712
31
Re-elected
21
Brentford
42
9
12
21
42
67
0.627
30
22
Gillingham
42
8
12
22
34
74
0.459
28
Results [ ]
Brentford's goal tally listed first.
Legend [ ]
[ ]
No.
Date
Opponent
Venue
Result
Attendance
Scorer(s)
1
28 August 1920
Exeter City
A
0–3
6,000
2
30 August 1920
Millwall
H
1–0
11,000
Boyne
3
4 September 1920
Exeter City
H
0–0
10,000
4
6 September 1920
Millwall
A
0–0
15,000
5
11 September 1920
Brighton & Hove Albion
H
2–0
8,000
Amos , Challinor
6
18 September 1920
Brighton & Hove Albion
A
0–4
5,500
7
25 September 1920
Crystal Palace
H
0–4
13,000
8
2 October 1920
Crystal Palace
A
2–4
15,000
King (2)
9
9 October 1920
Norwich City
A
0–0
9,000
10
16 October 1920
Norwich City
H
3–1
8,000
King (2), Thompson
11
23 October 1920
Southampton
A
0–3
10,000
12
30 October 1920
Southampton
H
1–1
7,000
Thompson (pen )
13
6 November 1920
Bristol Rovers
A
1–2
8,500
King
14
13 November 1920
Bristol Rovers
H
0–0
6,000
15
20 November 1920
Reading
A
1–2
4,000
Spreadbury
16
27 November 1920
Reading
H
3–2
5,000
Boyne (2), King
17
4 December 1920
Luton Town
A
0–2
6,000
18
11 December 1920
Luton Town
H
1–0
6,000
Boyne
19
18 December 1920
Newport County
H
2–2
6,000
King (2, 1 pen )
20
25 December 1920
Queens Park Rangers
H
0–2
16,379
21
27 December 1920
Queens Park Rangers
A
0–1
25,000
22
1 January 1921
Newport County
A
1–3
4,000
King
23
15 January 1921
Gillingham
A
3–1
7,000
Boyne (2), King
24
22 January 1921
Gillingham
H
3–3
7,000
Amos , King (pen ), Boyne
25
5 February 1921
Swansea Town
H
1–2
7,000
Elliott
26
12 February 1921
Swindon Town
A
0–1
6,000
27
19 February 1921
Swindon Town
H
0–1
10,000
28
26 February 1921
Portsmouth
A
2–0
13,645
Henery , Anstiss
29
5 March 1921
Portsmouth
H
1–2
8,000
Boyne
30
12 March 1921
Watford
A
0–1
5,000
31
19 March 1921
Watford
H
1–0
6,000
Anstiss
32
25 March 1921
Grimsby Town
A
0–2
8,000
33
26 March 1921
Northampton Town
H
1–1
7,000
King
34
28 March 1921
Grimsby Town
H
5–0
7,000
King (3, 1 pen ), Boyne , Anstiss
35
2 April 1921
Northampton Town
A
2–6
6,000
King , Elliott
36
9 April 1921
Southend United
H
2–2
4,000
Spreadbury , Boyne
37
16 April 1921
Southend United
A
1–4
6,000
Anstiss
38
25 April 1921
Merthyr Town
H
0–0
7,000
39
28 April 1921
Swansea Town
A
1–1
5,000
King (pen )
40
30 April 1921
Merthyr Town
A
1–3
4,000
Challinor
41
2 May 1921
Plymouth Argyle
A
0–0
5,000
42
7 May 1921
Plymouth Argyle
H
0–1
4,000
FA Cup [ ]
Sources: Statto , 100 Years of Brentford, The Complete History[11]
Playing squad [ ]
Players' ages are as of the opening day of the 1920–21 season.
Pos.
Name
Nat.
Date of birth (age)
Signed from
Signed in
Notes
Goalkeepers
GK
Jack Durston
(1893-07-11 ) 11 July 1893 (aged 27)
Queens Park Rangers
1919
Played when his cricket commitments allowed
GK
William Young
(1892-08-04 ) 4 August 1892 (aged 28)
South Shields
1920
Defenders
DF
Jimmy Hodson (c )
(1880-09-05 ) 5 September 1880 (aged 39)
Belfast Celtic
1919
DF
William Kearney
(1895-09-18 ) 18 September 1895 (aged 24)
Sunderland Celtic
1920
DF
Bertie Rosier
(1893-03-21 ) 21 March 1893 (aged 27)
Southall
1913
DF
Walter Spratt
(1889-04-14 ) 14 April 1889 (aged 31)
Manchester United
1920
Midfielders
HB
Alf Amos
(1893-02-09 ) 9 February 1893 (aged 27)
Old Kingstonians
1913
HB
Samuel Challinor
(1890-04-02 ) 2 April 1890 (aged 30)
Tranmere Rovers
1920
HB
Jimmy Elliott
1891 (aged 28–29)
Tottenham Hotspur
1920
HB
Fred Howe
1895 (aged 24–25)
Kimberworth Old Boys
1920
HB
Sam Morris
(1886-10-23 ) 23 October 1886 (aged 33)
Unattached
1919
Forwards
FW
Harry Anstiss
(1899-08-22 ) 22 August 1899 (aged 21)
Hammersmith Athletic
1920
FW
Reginald Boyne
(1891-11-16 ) 16 November 1891 (aged 28)
Aston Villa
1919
FW
Jack Cartmell
(1890-08-28 ) 28 August 1890 (aged 30)
Unattached
1919
FW
Herbert Cock
(1900-10-07 ) 7 October 1900 (aged 19)
Unattached
1921
FW
Patsy Hendren
(1889-02-05 ) 5 February 1889 (aged 31)
Queens Park Rangers
1911
Played when his cricket commitments allowed
FW
John Henery
n/a
Houghton Rovers
1920
FW
Harry King
(1886-01-04 ) 4 January 1886 (aged 34)
Leicester City
1920
FW
George Smith
n/a
South Shields
1920
FW
Bert Spreadbury
(1892-04-30 ) 30 April 1892 (aged 28)
Royal Ordnance Woolwich
1920
FW
George Taylor
(1900-06-03 ) 3 June 1900 (aged 20)
Brentford Thursday
1920
FW
Alfred Thompson
(1891-04-28 ) 28 April 1891 (aged 29)
Unattached
1919
Players who left the club mid-season
HB
Ernest Levitt
(1893-04-02 ) 2 April 1893 (aged 27)
New Silksworth
1920
Transferred to West Stanley
FW
Billy Baker
(1894-01-08 ) 8 January 1894 (aged 26)
Unattached
1920
Transferred to Manchester City
FW
Fred Morley
(1888-03-01 ) 1 March 1888 (aged 32)
Blackpool
1913
Released
Sources: 100 Years of Brentford, Timeless Bees,[12] Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939[13]
Coaching staff [ ]
Statistics [ ]
Appearances and goals [ ]
Brentford's highest appearance-makers in each position during the Football League season.
Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
Source: 100 Years of Brentford
Goalscorers [ ]
Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
Source: 100 Years of Brentford
Management [ ]
Name
Nat
From
To
Record All Comps
Record League
P
W
D
L
W %
P
W
D
L
W %
Fred Halliday
28 August 1920
7 May 1921
43
9
12
22
0 20.93
42
9
12
21
0 21.43
Summary [ ]
Games played
43 (42 Third Division , 1 FA Cup )
Games won
9 (9 Third Division, 0 FA Cup)
Games drawn
12 (12 Third Division, 0 FA Cup)
Games lost
22 (21 Third Division, 1 FA Cup)
Goals scored
43 (42 Third Division, 1 FA Cup)
Goals conceded
69 (67 Third Division, 2 FA Cup)
Clean sheets
12 (12 Third Division, 0 FA Cup)
Biggest league win
5–0 versus Grimsby Town , 28 March 1921
Worst league defeat
4–0 on two occasions, 6–2 versus Northampton Town , 2 April 1921
Most appearances
39, Jimmy Elliott (38 Third Division, 1 FA Cup)
Top scorer (league)
17, Harry King
Top scorer (all competitions)
18, Harry King
Transfers & loans [ ]
Cricketers are not included in this list.
References [ ]
^ Haynes, Graham (1998). A-Z Of Bees: Brentford Encyclopedia . Harefield, Middlesex: Yore Publications. p. 55. ISBN 1 874427 57 7 .
^ a b White, Eric, ed. (1989). 100 Years Of Brentford . Brentford FC. pp. 113–114. ISBN 0951526200 .
^ a b c "Brentford results for the 1920–1921 season" . Statto.com . Archived from the original on 1 June 2016. Retrieved 9 May 2016 .
^ Haynes, Graham; Twydell, Dave (2008). Brentford F.C.: The Complete History 1889–2008 . Harefield: Yore Publications. ISBN 978-0-9557889-5-6 . OCLC 528356934 .
^ Haynes, Graham; Coumbe, Frank (2006). Timeless Bees: Brentford F.C. Who's Who 1920–2006 . Yore Publications. ISBN 978-0955294914 .
^ Joyce, Michael (2012). Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939 . Nottingham: Tony Brown. ISBN 190589161X .
^ "Watford Football Club archive 1881–2016: Players – Abdi to Aston" (PDF) . p. 26. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 September 2017. Retrieved 8 May 2018 .
^ a b c d e "The Football Association – Season 1920–21 – Summary Of Professional Registrations" . Sky is Blue – The Chesterfield FC history resource . Retrieved 1 January 2021 .
^ "Notes On The Players". Brentford F.C. Handbook 1921–22 . 1921.
^ "Gleanings – Notes And News About Clubs And Players". The Athletic News . 24 January 1921.
^ Bystander, The (1920). Brentford Football Club Official Handbook 1920–21 . F. W. Dimbleby & Sons. p. 18.
^ "Brentford Football Club – Players Signed On". The Chiswick Times . 13 August 1920.
^ "Challinor Sam Halifax Town 1921" . Vintage Footballers . Retrieved 4 January 2021 .
^ "Hodson Jimmy Brentford 1920" . Vintage Footballers . Retrieved 7 July 2019 .